This port city of around 45,000 inhabitants is picturesquely situated on a rocky promontory on the Adriatic coast in the south of Croatia. Its historic fortifications and buildings have earned it the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site.
After the war between Croatia and Serbia, in which Dubrovnik was partially destroyed in 1991, and the reconstruction, the city has once again developed into a tourist center. Dubrovnik offers a variety of cultural and sporting events, including the summer festival lasting several weeks in July and August, exhibitions by artists from Croatia and abroad, guest theater performances, concerts, the celebration of the patron saint St. Vlaho on February 3rd, sailing competitions, tennis and water polo. In addition to tourism and the extensive congress industry, the main economic sectors include the maritime industry, wine and olive growing as well as trade and commerce. Students can enrol in four faculties, including management and technology in tourism.
Even the Romans settled on the rocky promontory - Dubrovnik itself dates back to the 7th century. Initially under Byzantine rule, Dubrovnik became a free city republic in the middle of the 14th century and remained so until Napoleon occupied the city in 1806. The Congress of Vienna led to its annexation by Austria-Hungary. After the First World War, Dubrovnik became part of the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, from which Yugoslavia emerged after the Second World War.
Dubrovnik has been celebrating the feast day of its patron saint, St. Blaise, on February 3rd for more than a thousand years. It is a deeply rooted tradition among the inhabitants of Dubrovnik and its surroundings (since the year 972), which has been inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Legend has it that St. Blaise saved the city from a Venetian attack. There are few cities whose identity is so inextricably linked to the patron saint as Dubrovnik. Numerous cultural, musical and sporting events are organized in his honour during the celebrations. The day of remembrance begins with a mass, followed by the traditional procession in which relics of St. Blaise are carried through the festively decorated old town of Dubrovnik.
